Dancing toy.



No. 66|,032. Patented Nov. 6, |900.

c.. H. mss.

DANCING TOY.

(Appumiun med p1-9, 1900.)

i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

CHARLOTTE HOPE BRIGGS, OF CLINTON, IOWA.

DANCING To?.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 661.032, dated November 6, 1900.

Appli-canon ined April 9, 1900.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLOTTE HOPE BRIGGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clinton, in the county of Clinton and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Dancing Toy, of which the' following is a specification.

This invention relates to toys, and has for its object' to provide an improved dancing toy inwhich one or more jointed figures are yieldingly mounted, so as to imitate the motion of dancing when properly operated. Itl is furthermore designed to provide improved operating means for causing the figures tol dance and to arrange such operating means in convenient position for engagement by the hand of the operator without interfering in any manner whatsoever with the dancing figures.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will lbe hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings,and particularly poi nted out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a toy constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the base and the means for yieldingly supporting the figures, the latter being removed.

Corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings are designated by like characters of reference.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, l designates a platform or base upon which the figures 2 and 3 are designed to dance, and said platform may have any preferred shape or design. As best indicated in Fig. 2, the body of each figure is formed by means of a block of wood 4, which isA provided centrally in its lower end with a vertically-disposed socket 5 for the loose reception of the upright arm E asubstantially horizontal springrod or bar 7, which is provided at its rear end. with an upright stem or standard 8, that is Serial No. 12,196. lNo model..

secured to the rear end of the platform. By this arrangement the figures are supported at the free ends of spring-rods, so as to move in a vertical direction therewith when said rods are manually operated. It will of course be understood that the head, arms, legs, and feet of the individual figures are jointed in any suitable manner, so as'to move independently during the bodily vertical movement of the figures in imitation of dancers. In the normal condition of the toy or when not in motion each figure has its feet supported just a slight distance above the platform, so that it may be free to move and strike the platform only at the lower limit of its vertical movement. Also the figures are swiveled `upon the upright arms 5, so that they mayl turn during the dancing movement.

The yieldable or spring-'supports for the figures are formed from a single length of stiff spring-wire, which is bent intermediate of its ends and twisted to form the stem or standard 8, from the upper end of which the opposite portions of the Wire are bent rearwardly, as at 9, thencedownwardly, upwardly beyond the portions 9, and then downwardly to the latter, so as to form the pair of substantially parallel and vertically-disposed spring loops or coils 10. The opposite end portions of the wire are then bent forwardlyT and diverged laterally across the plat-form to form the rods 7.

To operate the toy, the operator rubs gently upand down upon the outer sides of the vertically disposed and elongated spring-loops l0 orstrikes against the upper portions of the latter, which agitates and swings the rods 7 in a vertical direction to impart a jumping or hopping motion to the figures, whereby the jointed parts of the latter will swing and bob in imitation of dancers, and the feet, which are Weighted, will strike against the platform to produce a sound as in jig and clog dancing.

It will be observed that the support for the dancing gures comprises an intermediate frictional operating device in the form of a spring-loop having its outer side bowed outwardly, so as to incline in opposite directions to an intermediate outwardly-directed projection, the opposite end portions of the loop being extended into a supporting-standard rool for connection to a base, and a substantially horizontal figure-supporting arm, to which motion is imparted by the spring frictional operating-loop. By bowing the outer side of the loop the oppositelyinclined portions thereof aord better frictional surfaces than if the loop had a straight outer side, as will be readily understood.

What is claimed is- 1. A dancing toy, comprising a stationary base, a figure, and a spring-support therefor, comprising an intermediate spring frictional operating device, having its opposite ends extended into a standard rising rom the base, and a figure-supporting arm,respectively.

2. A dancing toy, comprising a stationary base, a figure, and a spring-support therefor, consisting in a spring frictio'nal loop, having one end extended intoa standard rising from the base, and the opposite end extended into a substantially horizontal Figure-supporting arm projecting over the platform.

3. A dancing toy, comprising a stationary base, a toy, and a spring-support therefor formed from a single length of spring-wire, having an intermediate vertically-disposed spring frietional operating-loop, the outer side of which is bowed outwardly, one end of the Wire being extended intoa standard rising 1 from the base, and the opposite end being formed into a substantially horizontal figure supporting arm extending over the base.

4. Adancing toy, comprising a stationary base, a toy, and a spring-support therefor formed from asingle length of spring-Wire, which is bent into an intermediate verticallydisposed spring friction al operating-loop, one end of the wire being bent from an intermediate point of the inner side of the loop and formed into a standard rising from the base, and the opposite end of the wire being bent from an intermediate point of the inner side of the loop and formed intoa ligure-supporting arm extended over the base.

5. A dancing toy, comprising a stationary base, a jointed figure located above the base and having its feet in close proximity thereto, and a spring figure-support rising from the. base, and having an intermediate frictionally-controlled operating device.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLOTTE HOPE BRIGGS.

Witnesses:

HENRY A. HoBEIN, EDMUND WALTER BRIGGS. 

